Inspiring and Challenging Laboratory Exercise in
Multivariable Control Theory – The Four-rotor Helicopter
Dag A. H. Samuelsen, Olaf H. Graven
Engineering students in a module on multivariable control
theory are given a laboratory exercise for developing their skills
in practical implementation of control systems. This is done in
an effort to create a more complete module that gives the
students experiences in the practical sides of implementing
control systems, while still being theoretically challenging and
inspiring. Presenting students with this kind of real-life
challenges like sub-optimal models, limited processing time and
large degree of uncertainty, is a challenging task, partly due to
the need of adapting the level of complexity to the student or
group of students doing the exercise in order to keep them
engaged throughout the exercise, and in part due to the
university’s need to reduce expenses related to the
administration, supervision, and execution of laboratory
exercises. The possibility of adapting the complexity of the
exercise to each student’s skill level is important, both through
the design of the exercise and through the students choosing
between different models. The eager student might be tempted
by the better performing, but more complex models, while the
struggling student can find satisfaction in stabilising the aircraft
using the less complex models. The laboratory setup presented
uses low-cost components, giving low investment and
maintenance costs. Full Text
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